The week's Virtual Console and WiiWare update brings players a single title for WiiWare and the Virtual Console.

The much anticipated and previously ESRB-rated Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen from Enix makes its Virtual Console debut. Players must lead their band of rebels to defeat the Zetegenian Empire in this strategy RPG through the use of hundreds of characters, magic items, weapons, and mystical Tarot cards. Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now through the Wii Shop Channel for 800 Wii Points ($8).

The sole WiiWare title of the week, Family & Friends Party is an interactive team board game for up to eight players. During each turn, players will be given a one or two person challenge that must be completed to progress. Once a team completes all of the challenges, they are declared the winner. Family & Friends Party is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB and is available now through the Wii Shop Channel for 1000 Wii Points ($10).

WII-KLY UPDATE: ONE WIIWARE GAME AND ONE VIRTUAL CONSOLE GAME ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL

March 2, 2009

In like a lamb and out like a lion, or vice-versa? Whether March finds you digging out from a late-winter blizzard or reeling in the spring thaw, the fun is both mild and wild at the WiiÂ™ Shop Channel. Even the littlest lambs in your household can take part in a cool new family-friendly WiiWareÂ™ game, while strategy-loving gamers will be roaring like lions as they battle evil foes in a classic Virtual ConsoleÂ™ title.

Nintendo adds new and classic games to the Wii Shop Channel at 9 a.m. Pacific time every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii PointsÂ™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

WiiWareÂ™

Family & Friends Party (Gammick Entertainment, 1-8 players, Rated E for Everyone, 1,000 Wii Points): Have fun with all your friends and family as you take on some very exciting challenges. This is an interactive board game for as many as eight players of all ages. The goal is to be the first to complete a series of challenges. During each turn, a challenge will be played by one or two players per team depending on the type of challenge you've been given. (Other players on your team can still help and support you). There are six different "Single" challenges that must be played cooperatively by members of the same team. Family & Friends Party can also suggest "Versus" challenges, which must be played competitively by all teams at the same time.

Virtual ConsoleÂ™

Ogre BattleÂ™: The March of the Black QueenÂ™ (Super NESÂ™, 1 player, Rated E for Everyone, 800 Wii Points): It's up to you to defeat the Empire. It's been nearly a quarter of a century since the Zetegenian Empire first conquered the Kingdoms of Zenobia with a wrath of fear and bloodshed. You are the leader of a band of rebels who've fought to preserve the last shred of honor in this desperate time of treachery. Manage the ranks of a full-blown rebel army, complete with hundreds of characters, magic items, weapons and mystical Tarot cards. You must succeed in ousting the evil usurpers-your fate, and that of the entire population, depends on it.

I rented this Ogre Battle a long time ago, and it never totally clicked with me. (OB 64 didn't either.) But I'm tempted to download it anyway, partly to give it another chance and partly because it's the best VC release in a long time. At this point, Square Enix is supporting the SNES better than Nintendo!

"Ogre Battle! **** YES! SOLD...in a few weeks when I get paid and can afford it.

Truth be told, while I like the concept of the original Ogre Battle and the stuff it pioneered for the series I don't really like the game all that much. I'll buy it anyway because maybe I'll like it better now than I did back in the SNES days (when the ludicrously difficult-to-manage Reputation meter just caused me to quit playing shortly after the Pogram Forest level).

But the main reason I'm buying this is to hopefully prod Square-Enix to release the other Ogre Battle games over here, particularly Ogre Battle 64 (my favorite game in the series by far). "